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Application Idea - Looking for criticism & help
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0157988944
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Mar 23, 2009, 10:21 PM
 
This is my dream GTD app: a simple to do list that lives in the cloud.

As of right now this is just a picture, but I think it would be a really great app if it could be made. Take a look at the page, and please post here with questions and criticisms (related either to site design or app UI design.)

I imagine the iPhone version to look pretty much the same, except the "Edit" window would be a whole other panel as opposed to a pop-up.
( Last edited by 0157988944; Jan 5, 2015 at 05:42 PM. )
     
imitchellg5
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Mar 24, 2009, 12:40 AM
 
I'm sure services exist that do this. But your concept looks great. I'd probably use it. It'd be very convenient to have one (simple) site to go to for all my web-enabled devices. It'd also make a great widget for Dashboard.
     
boy8cookie
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Mar 24, 2009, 01:44 AM
 
Originally Posted by adamfishercox View Post
http://adamfishercox.com/simpletask.html

This is my dream GTD app: a simple to do list that lives in the cloud.

As of right now this is just a picture, but I think it would be a really great app if it could be made. Take a look at the page, and please post here with questions and criticisms (related either to site design or app UI design.)

I imagine the iPhone version to look pretty much the same, except the "Edit" window would be a whole other panel as opposed to a pop-up.
Fairly easy to do with some AJAXness. Question is, who's hosting the "cloud" and why (profit)? Is it a one time fee for the application? or a(nother) monthly service fee?
     
TETENAL
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Mar 24, 2009, 04:47 AM
 
Apple Mail already has to-do-lists on the cloud.
     
OreoCookie
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Mar 24, 2009, 05:18 AM
 
There are already quite a few GTD apps for the iPhone, there is a version of OmniFocus and iThings (although, since I don't have an iPhone, I don't use them). What are they lacking?
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0157988944  (op)
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Mar 24, 2009, 06:46 AM
 
Yeah the cloud is probably the weakest link/ most far fetched. It's not that other apps don't do enough, they do too much and require too much effort to maintain. I just want one or two text boxes to type in and boom, it's a to do. Plus the small window means I can have it on the desktop most of the time.

Things prooably comes closest, but it's $50 + $10 for the iPhone app.
     
OreoCookie
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Mar 24, 2009, 06:56 AM
 
I think I understand your points. You basically just want a next action list without much frills. To be honest, how about using a paper-based notebook? I do that to complement OmniFocus when I'm offroad, it doesn't always have to be high-tech.

AFAIK OmniGroup's iPhone GTD app can also be used stand alone (although, to be honest, I can imagine it's only really powerful if you use it with the desktop version of OmniFocus.
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Doofy
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Mar 24, 2009, 07:03 AM
 
I have no idea what all this "cloud" nonsense is but I know the World doesn't need another to-do list app.

How's about something useful? A Mac version of ASP1-A3 and The!Checker, for example? Or a Mac accounts app which isn't clunky and awkward? Or an app for tracking gym progress? Or a Mac home/car management app?
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0157988944  (op)
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Mar 24, 2009, 07:25 PM
 
The world might not, but I do. The reason I don't use paper is it inevitably ends up doodled on and messy. I rely on my technology to keep things neat

If you can refer me to a To Do app that has an iPhone counterpart, and does JUST To-Do's, without any effort required to keep to-dos organized. I don't want to categorize them, or input a date if I don't have to. I just want a simple text box. To give you an idea of how simple I'm thinking, I currently use TextEdit for my To-Do list. I'll try Mail's notes once iPhone 3.0 comes out, but it's just not built as a To Do list.
     
boy8cookie
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Mar 24, 2009, 08:22 PM
 
What scripting knowledge do you have? If you make it web-based, it won't matter what platform you're accessing it on, you can get at it from anywhere. Really all you need is a web form that saves text to a simple database and another web page to view it, if you wana get fancy you can, but it sounds like you don't want to.
     
shifuimam
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Mar 24, 2009, 09:26 PM
 
I'd love, love, love a web-accessible to-do list app. Something really easy that lets me prioritize and edit my to-dos on my iPhone. More importantly, if my understanding of the iPhone 3.0 software is accurate, I want one that can push alerts to my iPhone, so that they pop up and make a noise, even when the app isn't actually running.

Because of the lack of alert capability like that, right now I'm stuck using a second Outlook calendar on my employer's Exchange server for all my to-dos.

I'd also really, really like one that can do multilevel lists. I had a great one for my Axim, although the name of it escapes me.

I have yet to see a to-do list app for the iPhone that really does what I want.

What I'd like to see (and I've thought about making this myself) is a website where you can manage your to-dos, with an iPhone version of the site. Then there's no app to write, and everything is centrally maintained and accessible from anywhere.
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Phileas
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Mar 24, 2009, 09:50 PM
 
Remember the milk is a fully featured, cloud accessible, iPhone app ready, location aware, Gmail and twitter integrated, to do list and GTD tool. It's been around for about a year or so, and it really, really rocks.

Enjoy.
     
shifuimam
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Mar 24, 2009, 09:51 PM
 
I'm morally opposed to paying for iPhone apps.
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Phileas
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Mar 24, 2009, 09:57 PM
 
You get what you pay for.
     
waxcrash
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Mar 24, 2009, 09:59 PM
 
Has anyone played around or use Google's Gmail Tasks? I just enabled it to see how it works.

If you have a Gmail account, go to 'Settings' and then select the 'Labs' tab. Just enable 'Tasks' and it should work.
     
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Mar 24, 2009, 10:33 PM
 
Originally Posted by shifuimam View Post
I'm morally opposed to paying for iPhone apps.
Are you dedicated to volunteering full time, both currently and for the rest of your life? Do you insist on living strictly off of random donations that are sent your way by those who are impressed by the quality of your volunteer work? If not, I don't see how you could be morally opposed to paying for software.
     
shifuimam
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Mar 24, 2009, 10:59 PM
 
....

I was being sarcastic.

I don't pay for iPhone apps, but only because I don't care enough to waste a few dollars on an app, when I can generally find a free app that does the same (or sort of the same) thing as a paid app.
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gradient
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Mar 24, 2009, 11:02 PM
 
Originally Posted by shifuimam View Post
....

I was being sarcastic.

I don't pay for iPhone apps, but only because I don't care enough to waste a few dollars on an app, when I can generally find a free app that does the same (or sort of the same) thing as a paid app.
Fair enough, sorry. I'm a bit on the grumpy side today and have been beating my head against a wall of workplace entitlement mentality lately so read it as serious. My bad.
     
shifuimam
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Mar 24, 2009, 11:08 PM
 
Hehe...that's okay.

I really hope the new push features of the upcoming 3.0 release will allow to-do and task applications to pop up global alerts. It seemed to me that this is the gist of the whole push thing, looking at the photos on Engadget of the ESPN example...I hope I'm right.
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Maflynn
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Mar 25, 2009, 07:33 AM
 
Originally Posted by shifuimam View Post
I don't pay for iPhone apps, but only because I don't care enough to waste a few dollars on an app, when I can generally find a free app that does the same (or sort of the same) thing as a paid app.
True but as the another poster stated, you get what you pay for. I've found that the app store has an abundant amount of applications, most of them are crapware which are free or ninety-nine cents. Some of the good apps that are fairly polished or well written are a tad more expensive and to be honest, I'd rather pay a few dollars (or even more) for something that works well.

In a sense that's why I purchased a mac, its more money then a peecee but I have a superior OS, and a well built and designed machine.

For instance, I was looking for a loan calc program and did a search on my iphone for one, and there's a ton of apps, most of them look like crap, so far I've not found one that fits my needs. I'm still waiting to see if apple (or anyone else) releases an office suite for the iphone and I can produce an amortization spreadsheet, but that's OT, my point is a lot of the free or cheap stuff on the app store is crap
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shifuimam
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Mar 25, 2009, 08:04 AM
 
Oddly enough, I've found some fantastic apps, all of which are free - TwitterFon, Road Trip Lite, Pandora, the official apps for Facebook and AIM, and apps for SSH, VNC, and RDP. I've also found some great free games.

I have yet to see a paid app on the iPhone that's so awesome that it compels me to spend money on it.
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Person Man
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Mar 25, 2009, 10:45 AM
 
Originally Posted by shifuimam View Post
I have yet to see a paid app on the iPhone that's so awesome that it compels me to spend money on it.
You don't work in the medical field, then.

Several of those apps are well worth the money I paid for them.
     
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Mar 25, 2009, 10:48 AM
 
Originally Posted by Person Man View Post
the medical field
Is that where they put people when the hospital's full? Triage in tents and all that?
Been inclined to wander... off the beaten track.
That's where there's thunder... and the wind shouts back.
     
Maflynn
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Mar 25, 2009, 11:09 AM
 
Originally Posted by shifuimam View Post
Oddly enough, I've found some fantastic apps, all of which are free - TwitterFon, Road Trip Lite, Pandora, the official apps for Facebook and AIM, and apps for SSH, VNC, and RDP. I've also found some great free games.

I have yet to see a paid app on the iPhone that's so awesome that it compels me to spend money on it.
and my experience has been the opposite. While there are high quality free apps on the iPhone, they tend to be drowned out by the massive number of free and cheap apps that are crap.
~Mike
     
Person Man
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Mar 25, 2009, 12:48 PM
 
Originally Posted by Doofy View Post
Is that where they put people when the hospital's full? Triage in tents and all that?
LOL!

I guess so.
     
shifuimam
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Mar 25, 2009, 02:12 PM
 
Originally Posted by Maflynn View Post
and my experience has been the opposite. While there are high quality free apps on the iPhone, they tend to be drowned out by the massive number of free and cheap apps that are crap.
I must just have the kavorka when it comes to finding good free apps.

Then again, I rarely download apps for my iPhone at all. I primarily use it for browsing, email, and playing a few games here and there. Once the initial novelty wore off, I quit doing as much app searching.
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Spheric Harlot
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Mar 25, 2009, 02:24 PM
 
Originally Posted by Maflynn View Post
True but as the another poster stated, you get what you pay for. I've found that the app store has an abundant amount of applications, most of them are crapware which are free or ninety-nine cents. Some of the good apps that are fairly polished or well written are a tad more expensive and to be honest, I'd rather pay a few dollars (or even more) for something that works well.
That makes sense, but at this point, it probably makes *more* sense to just wait another three months to see what To-Do implementation comes with 3.0.
     
Maflynn
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Mar 25, 2009, 02:32 PM
 
Originally Posted by shifuimam View Post
I must just have the kavorka when it comes to finding good free apps.

Then again, I rarely download apps for my iPhone at all. I primarily use it for browsing, email, and playing a few games here and there. Once the initial novelty wore off, I quit doing as much app searching.
I also don't do a lot of downloading, just as my needs arise. I still only have two panels (if that's what you call them). I have a handful of apps, but I do have, took me great pains to find. I didn't mind them being paid or free, just as long as they did what I wanted them to do.
~Mike
     
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Mar 25, 2009, 02:34 PM
 
Originally Posted by adamfishercox View Post
Take a look at the page, and please post here with questions and criticisms (related either to site design or app UI design.)
May I point out than 'capitulos' has to be 'capĂ­tulos' ?

The app looks really cool, but I am still an iPhone-less person, shame on me.
     
0157988944  (op)
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Mar 25, 2009, 03:33 PM
 
Photoshop handles accents really poorly for some reason... but good eye!
     
0157988944  (op)
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Apr 13, 2009, 08:36 PM
 
It's a real deal now!
( Last edited by 0157988944; Jan 5, 2015 at 05:43 PM. )
     
turtle777
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Apr 13, 2009, 09:47 PM
 
I'm very happy with OmniFocus.

A simple task manager like you propose would be too limiting for my needs.

-t
     
   
 
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